SINGAPORE: Candidate for Sembawang West SMC Poh Li San urged residents to back “steady, trusted leadership”, promising to double down on key priorities if elected.

Speaking at a rally held at Evergreen Primary School on Wednesday evening (Apr 30), Ms Poh said: “If you give me the honour of continuing to serve you, here’s what we will do together: We will double down on what matters most.”

She promised voters that the estate will be renewed and modernised, that she will expand support for seniors, strengthen mental wellness programmes and enhance inclusivity and accessibility.

“We will do all this while being physically responsible, transparent and always present for the people we serve,” she added.

Ms Poh, who was elected in GE2020 as part of a five-member team in Sembawang GRC, has taken care of the Sembawang West division for the past five years. 

When electoral boundaries were redrawn prior to GE2025, Sembawang West was carved out as an SMC, where she is now contesting. She faces Singapore Democratic Party secretary-general Dr Chee Soon Juan in the ward, which has 24,153 voters.

Speaking in Malay, Mandarin and English, Ms Poh listed the improvements in Sembawang West in the last five years, saying that she had personally met and assisted more than 10,000 residents, and raised residents’ concerns in parliament.

“I will continue to speak up for our residents, especially on securing jobs in a more challenging economic environment and keeping a lid on the cost of living to help residents better cope with cost pressures,” she said.

She also reminded residents that she will have the support of the other Sembawang candidates if they are all elected. 

At Wednesday’s rally, Sembawang GRC candidates - Health Minister Ong Ye Kung, Ms Mariam Jaafar and Mr Vikram Nair - also spoke. New faces Gabriel Lam and Ng Shi Xuan round out the team.

Mr Ong, the first speaker at the rally, said that Dr Chee said he decided to contest in Sembawang West as part of the SDP’s “northern strategy”, while Ms Poh has approached the campaign with the “residents at heart”.

“If he wins, you are the ‘beach head’ for him to conquer other places in the north,” Mr Ong said. “Li San has no such strategic motive. She is simply here to serve you.”

A surprise guest, former minister Khaw Boon Wan, also made an appearance to support Ms Poh, but he did not speak.

Echoing other PAP candidates, Ms Poh warned of uncertain and challenging times ahead, saying: “This is not the time for rhetoric or reinvention. This is the time for steady, trusted leadership.”

She added: “This election is not about who speaks the loudest, it is not about personalities. It is about people, it is about purpose. And it is about progress - real, visible, meaningful progress.”